A Livingston charity set up by the mother of a young man that lost his battle with cancer at the age of 15 has been gifted £1,000.
Persimmon Homes East Scotland made the donation to the Team Jak Foundation through its Building Futures initiative designed to support under 18s across the region.
Allison Barr’s son Jak Trueman fought a rare form of cancer but lost his battle with the illness in February 2015. Jak was determined to leave a legacy that would help and support other families who receive the same devastating news that he and his family dealt with.
Allison Barr said: “I am overwhelmed and delighted to accept a whopping £1,000 from Persimmon Homes to help young people, their families and friends dealing with cancer.
“I applied to Persimmon Homes for the funds to help cover the cost of sessions that invite children to relax and enjoy a healthy meal or snack in a clean environment – something that many take for granted but make a huge difference to the young people we help.”
The Building Futures scheme aims to support community groups working with under-18s across three categories – education & arts, health and sport.
Laura Still, sales and marketing director at Persimmon Homes East Scotland, said: “Young people are at the heart of all our futures, and we are fortunate to be able to provide support and help create positive outcomes through our Building Futures campaign.
“We will make donations from £1,000 to £100,000 to grassroots sports groups, charities dealing with physical and mental health issues, as well as community arts and education projects.
“Persimmon already donates £768,000 each year to good causes through its Community Champions funding programme and through Building Futures, we are dedicating help exclusively to the younger members of our society.”
Building Futures is delivered through the Persimmon Charitable Foundation in partnership with Team GB, the British Olympic Association, and the company enlisted the help of Olympic gold medal winning cyclist Dani Rowe to launch the scheme.
Laura added: “This initiative is a superb way of supporting young people across our communities and I would encourage anyone who is eligible to apply for funding. These sums of money can be life-changing and could make a real difference to the recipients.”
A total of 128 grants of £1,000 will be awarded across Persimmon’s 32 regional businesses to improve local facilities and the delivery of vital community projects.
Three initiatives will go on to win £100,000 each through a national online public vote. The winners will be named at a grand final in November.
In each sector – education & arts, health and sport – as well as the £100,000 first prize, there will be a £50,000 second prize and a £20,000 third prize, while a further 87 shortlisted projects will each receive £5,000.
The initiative is now closed to new applications.
To find out more about Building Futures visit: www.persimmonhomes.com/charity/building-futures